Ex-coworker: Suspected serial killer ‘difficult ... to get along with’

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WICHITA, Kan. — The suspect in the BTK serial killings was an unfair boss who created a hostile working environment, according to a co-worker who reported to Dennis Rader for more than six years and has filed a complaint against the city they worked for.

“Dennis was a very difficult person to get along with,” Mary Capps, who worked with Rader as a compliance officer in Park City, told The Wichita Eagle for an article published Friday. “It was his way every time.”

Capps, 45, said Rader was a stickler for detail, never gave her compliments and discriminated against her because she is a woman.

Capps’ lawyer, Ted Wagner, said Capps has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Park City “for their failure to respond to a hostile work environment.” Another complaint is being prepared for the Kansas Human Rights Commission, he said.

Rader, 60, is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder for a series of killings in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991. The killings are attributed to the BTK killer, who coined his own nickname, meaning “bind, torture, kill.”

Rader is scheduled to appear in court April 19 for his preliminary hearing. The Eagle couldn’t reach his lawyers for comment regarding Capps’ claims.

Capps said she was put on paid leave without explanation immediately after Rader’s arrest. She is now on unpaid medical leave, Wagner said.

Mayor Emil Bergquist declined to comment on Capps’ leave.

While Capps had little good to say about Rader’s office demeanor, she said that when he talked about his family, “his voice would change. You could see love and concern.”